Walking the trails of Lassen County
If you have lived in Susanville long enough you have heard of either the Bizz Johnson Trail, or Susanville Ranch Park. Both offer great trails and amazing places to escape from the noise of the city.
Saturday, April 13 a few close friends of mine and I decided to hike the Bizz Johnson Trail.
The Bizz Johnson Trail is quite the trek if you ever plan to walk its entirety with it stretching from Susanville all the way to Westwood.
Being mostly a lifelong resident of Lassen County, I have walked the Bizz Johnson numerous times but I had never started from the train depot on Weatherlow Street.
Starting there, you see some stunning sights, from the old logging equipment still on the river, to the amount of green beginning to bloom signaling spring, as poppies bloom and lavender begins to dot the sides of the trail.
Long before you hit what most call first bridge, you see the remnants of winter waning with water pouring over some of the rock faces along the trail.
It was a welcome sight at the first bridge with the water levels far past the points we saw a few years ago during the drought.
As we moved along the wildlife was abundant from squirrels and chipmunks to deer that were not in town for once.
Then a bit of nostalgia hit me as we got to the second bridge with what appeared to be high school students swimming in the less than warm water, but it was a definite trip down memory lane.
We then hit the third bridge, where our trek would force us to turn around as the sun began to set and the warmth of the day began to slink away into the tall shadows cast by the trees lining the trail.
But I always enjoy walking the Bizz Johnson Trail. It provides an easy trek with great groomed trails, and more than enough of Lassen County sights to take in.
I will be heading up to Ranch Park and the helipad that overlooks the valley. If you have any photos you would like to share of your trips on the trails of Lassen County, send them to me, Brian Walters, at [email protected].
